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26.03.2018

On the Independence Day of Greece, Cipras warned Turkey against provocations

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the Independence Day of the country demanded that Turkey stop provocations in the Aegean Sea, respect the sovereignty of Greece and Cyprus and respect international law.

The prime minister spoke at the celebration of Independence Day on the island of Psara in the Aegean Sea.

Tsipras said that the revolution that began 197 years ago marked the struggle for freedom and independence of the homeland, the struggle for liberation from the yoke of the conqueror. According to him, determination is required to ensure absolute respect for sovereign rights and territorial integrity.

"Greece today is a beacon of values, a guarantor of stability and security in our region, and for this reason it will not let anyone play games that jeopardize stability and normalcy, and I want to repeat here in the historic corner of our homeland , which all Europe declared officially and unanimously - Turkey must stop illegal activities in the Aegean, it must respect the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus, observe the rules arising from international law, "Tsipras said.

"Greece is a country that has powerful deterrent forces not to threaten, but to ensure peace and stability in the region in order to serve the principle of good-neighborliness," the prime minister said.

Tsipras thanked those who provide peace and security at the borders, and said that everyone remembers about the two Greek soldiers who are in the Turkish prison. "Our thoughts with them not only today, that we celebrate our freedom, but every day, and we are doing all that is necessary and that it is required that they soon return home," the prime minister said.

Tsipras took part in the celebrations. The school and military parade took place on the island.

In Athens, there was a large military parade, which was traditionally hosted by the Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos. The parade was attended by diplomats and military attaches.In recent weeks, relations between Greece and Turkey have sharply deteriorated after the Turkish patrol ship rammed the ship of the Greek coast guard. Many observers claim the danger of a military incident and compare the situation with 1996 year. Then the dispute over the territorial affiliation of the two rocky isles of Imia (Kardak) in the Dodecanese archipelago in the Aegean Sea led to a crisis in relations between Greece and Turkey. The conflict was terminated after the intervention of the international community, NATO and the United States. In the last days of the crisis, 31 January 1996, in the conflict area, a helicopter of the Greek Navy crashed, three Greek officers were killed. The cause of the accident was called technical problems.

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